Member2.

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I got a Heritage wood stove last year and with your advice I've become more proficient at using it. So far this year I've been able to use the wood stove exclusively for heat and the house has stayed pretty comfortable. I've learned to keep the fire going by timing my lunches to go home and put more wood in and with building the fire up right before going to bed. There are usually enough coals to start it up in the morning, although on cold mornings like this one (it was 10 degrees), I got up at 4 o'clock and put some logs on.

I'm thrilled to not be dependent on the oil companies for heat and have jokingly said that my ambition is to call the oil company in five years to see if the oil was still ok to use, but now I think I should ask you all for some advice.

Should I be firing up the furnace to keep it running properly, and if so, how often and for how long a period of time. I have two tanks and I think I have about one and one-half tanks full of oil. The furnace is a forced air kind, if that makes a difference. I just shut it off completely last year at the end of the season and I haven't had it on at all this year and I've been thinking that maybe just leaving it there might case some harm to the system, or that the oil itself might degrade.